Purpose

Two short texts recently came to my attention. One was incomplete – just a sign available for purchase at a craft store. It had a quote from Paul on it that said,

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

The next was a fable from Anthony De Mello’s Song of the Bird. While it is from this Jesuit’s book, it is a Mullah Nasruddin story and therefore does not originate with De Mello, but with Turkish Muslims of the thirteenth century. The story goes:

Nasruddin became prime minister to the king. Once, while he wandered through the palace he saw a royal falcon.

Now Nasruddin had never seen this kind of pigeon before. So he got out a pair of scissors and trimmed the claws, the wings, and the beak of the falcon.

“Now you look like a decent bird,” he said. “Your keeper had evidently been neglecting you.”

De Mello, Anthony. 1982. The Royal Pigeon. The Song of the Bird. (p. 7). Lonavla, India. Image.

Both of these speak of purpose. While Paul’s first century quip outwardly tells us it is speaking of God’s purpose. The Nasruddin story hints at it rather than name its meaning outright. The pharisee apostle says we must do things as God intended and all will work out. The Mullah’s story comes from a different angle. Rather than instruct us to act favorably towards God and his plans for us, the fable shows us the ridiculousness of what happens when we become something we are not intended to be.

Paul’s short verse only tells us what to do while the Nasruddin story, with a little more time to develop, shows us how it can sometimes be others that cause us to conform to ways contrary to God. The poor falcon did not set out to be a pigeon, but through Nasruddin’s foolishness, he let it happen though God never intended for this mighty bird to become a simple pigeon.

Both of these short teachings hit home. Currently I am at a crossroads of my life. I am about to start a new career, move to a new city, and am in the beginnings of a new relationship. While these are things I want, they are also, (I think) in God’s plan for me. I am trying to discern if these things are according to His purpose or if I am letting the world shape me into what it wants.

If it were up to many I am in school with, I would be working locally upon graduation. I would sign a contract and not leave for at least three years. I would not allow myself to move far away and dating someone from far away would be off the table as well. There is pressure to clip my wings and live and work on the same turf I have been for a long time. As I look at the signs in my life, doing what the crowd does would make me a falcon with my wings clipped. I would be like the poor royal, “pigeon”, tamed and humiliated. Unable to spread my wings and fly, I would stay working in a way not according to God’s purpose. I would not be pursing a vocation of marriage and my push to get a higher education would likely be extinguished. Not soaring to new heights would hamper me. On the other hand, while I am supposed to be a falcon and not a pigeon, I still have questions. “How do I know I am headed in the right direction?” While it is clear God has designed me for a purpose that has exceeded what my locality can provide, am I headed in the right direction?

I know that nursing is the purpose for my career that God has given me. I have discerned this thoroughly and He has shown me this is correct. I would like to think that the other uncertainties in my life that I am pursuing (where I move and the relationship I am in) are also in God’s plan. He has a purpose for me, but I don’t always know what that is. The relationship dictates the city, which is similar to what I was thinking before the relationship. A new city, rather than staying local dictates a master’s degree. I am capable of such a degree, but if I clipped my wings, the good I could do with it would not be accomplished as I would likely never pursue such a degree if I stayed where my employer would not mandate me to futher my education. (Because I have a BS already, the time and money it is just better to go ahead with an MSN rather than a second bachelors in nursing).

As I move forward, according to Paul’s teaching, the good will shine through. If it is God’s will, it will work out just fine because all things that God wants to happen will happen. Even if we don’t cooperate, God can still use other people and resources for the goodness of humanity. He is the architect of the universe and we are just small parts in his Plan.

I love God and I have answered his call to be a nurse. It is therefore reasonable to assume I am on the right trajectory with other parts he has called me to. When in doubt, it is best to remember to not let the world make me a pigeon. I may not always know where to fly, but I will never fly at all if I let the world clip my wings and call me a pigeon.

We are all born to be falcons. You are a different falcon than me. I am a different falcon than the person next door. He is a different falcon than his best friend whose wife is yet another falcon. We are all supposed to falcons, soaring to great heights destined by God. We are not the same falcon though. We are also not pigeons. If you follow the purpose God wants for you, you will be a falcon.

Be a falcon as God wants. It is his purpose for you to be a falcon. It is your job to determine just how high and where to fly. Never, ever clip your wings and hang low to the ground with the pigeons, eating garbage dropped on the dirty streets. Do not poop all over your territory. Do not squabble and harass others by pecking relentlessly with no good purpose or outcome. Rise above! Soar! Be the falcon God has destined you to be!